Things That Have Aged The Best About The Sims 2

Considering that the genre-defining Sims series has been consistently updated since its release, the franchise’s first iteration on Maxis’ formula provided the blueprint for what a ‘good’ Sims sequel should look like. With The Sims 2′s re-release as part of Electronic Arts’ Sims Legacy Collection package, unique aspects of the first Sims sequel are being highlighted by modern players and have seemingly stood the test of time.

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From making a substantial graphical jump from isometric 2.5D to a 360-degree camera in a 3D environment, to providing an ultimate amount of neighborhood customization through cross-game collaboration, The Sims 2 remains a strong entry in the Sims franchise more than 20 years after its release.

8

The Game’s In-Depth Illness System

A Potentially Fatal Inclusion To A Sim’s List Of Concerns

Despite the system’s reiteration in future Sims titles, The Sims 2‘s illness mechanic is arguably one of the game’s most revered features and continues to be a series highlight. While future installments would attempt to expand on The Sims 2‘s illness system, the breadth and impact of the ailments a player’s Sims could contract in the 2004 life simulator title were pretty extensive.

From regular illnesses like the common cold and food poisoning to potentially fatal contractions such as pneumonia and influenza, The Sims 2‘s illness system adds an element of controlled randomness to an arguably by-the-numbers experience. While resting and taking medication are solid options for players to help their Sims get back to health, with The Sims 2‘s DLC packs installed, creative solutions such as a witch’s spell or a comforting bowl of ‘Grandma’s Comfort Soup’ can work wonders on all ailments.

7

The Game’s Improved Life Stages

From Toddlers to Elders, A Sim’s Life Has Many More Stops On The Road

Although The Sims‘ inaugural 2000 release formed the core of the Sims experience that has remained strong in the franchise’s 25-year history, its vision was not without shortcomings. While The Sims would progress a Sim through the journey of growing from a baby, to a child, to an adult, The Sims 2 hyperfocused on its depiction of a Sim’s lifespan and doubled the number of life stages — adding the stages of toddler, teen, and elder.

These additions to The Sims’ original Sim life-cycle would go on to remain a series benchmark that would not be exceeded and did more than add cosmetic changes to a player’s creations. From toddlers requiring potty training and teens doing homework, The Sims 2‘s life stages work in culmination with the title’s other systems to work toward one of the game’s core focuses of humanizing its virtual humans.

6

The Game’s Improved ‘Interests’ System

Humans & Animals Alike Share In The Sims 2’s Improvements To Personality

As is par the course for sequels in any medium, The Sims 2 not only incorporates many of the systems of The Sims‘ original title but expands upon them in meaningful ways. One such system that has gone on to evolve in contemporary titles — yet arguably remains the most fleshed out in the 2004 release — is that of a Sim’s interests.

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While The Sims‘ original release provided players with a suite of eight unique interests, The Sims 2 more than doubles this with a selection of 18 possible interests for a player’s human Sims to focus on. With the added variety of pet characters in The Sims 2, even the dogs and cats of a player’s Sim household can be turned on or off by a range of interests that — while less developed than The Sims 2‘s human interest system — provides a greater amount of identity than even the human characters of The Sims‘ original release.

5

The Game’s Cinematic Cutscenes

A Fan-Favorite Mechanic That Shines A Light On A Sim’s Biggest Moments

Although the Sims franchise has garnered a seemingly insurmountable amount of success in the series’ lifetime — and there now exist some competent competitors to Maxis’ once-monopolistic life simulation property — the Sims‘ adherence to a feeling of quirky, cartoonish reality has kept it comfortably afloat.

While some aspects of the Sims series’ kooky formula have been continuously iterated on and evolved since the series’ first installment, some fan-beloved mechanics such as The Sims 2‘s cinematics have remained in the past. Provided to players at seemingly all stages of their Sims’ lives — from their birth birthdays to their engagement and even being abducted by aliens — The Sims 2‘s cinematics are a wholly unique aspect of the installment’s identity.

4

The Game’s Neighborhood Customization

A Modular Level Of Interactivity With Cross-Game Functionality

Considering the Sims series’ focus on not just interpersonal interactions between a player’s Sims but the households within the game’s world, it was not until The Sims 2‘s 2004 release that multiple neighborhoods were made available to the player in the base game experience. Compared to The Sims 4‘s confined lots, and even to The Sims 3‘s open-world nature, The Sims 2‘s neighborhoods arguably provide players with an unprecedented level of control and customization.

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No longer is a player’s Sims household stuck in an effective void, but now, the entire local world of The Sims 2 can be customized and reassembled. Beyond the base game, when utilizing the expanded suite of control provided by applying Maxis’ 2003 city builder SimsCity 4, custom terrains can also be created by the player to add an extended level of personalization.

3

The Game’s Introduction Of 3D Environments

An Isometric Landscape is Swapped With A Fully-Realized 3D Environment

Coinciding with Maxis’ commercial and critical success in establishing its new Sims property and a time when “developers were starting to take notice of emerging 3D technology”, The Sims 2‘s jump from an isometric 2.5D perspective to a fully realized 3D space has continued throughout the franchise’s proceeding titles.

Although the isometric design of The Sims is novel and quirky, The Sims 2‘s integration of carefully crafted 3D spaces in its 2004 release did not just establish technological progress but provided players with more control over their Sims’ environment. The Sims 2‘s landscapes, houses, and characters retained the personality and kookiness The Sims series is renowned for and bolstered their 3D environments with plenty of expansive interactivity.

2

The Breadth Of The Game’s DLC Packs

From Werewolves To Vacation Spots, These Expansions Are Some Of The Series’ Best

Despite the pressure of expanding on a genre-defining new property, The Sims‘ 2004 sequel didn’t flinch when standing on the tall shoulders of its 2000 predecessor, “covering a range of topics and adding various new features” while providing players with a plethora of new functionality and improved mechanics over the original Sims title.

However, even with all the improvements made to the formula in The Sims 2, the game’s five-year life-cycle produced eight expansions — each providing arguably more content than the last — ultimately resulting in a gargantuan Sims experience. From Sim-centric DLC packs that introduce pets and university life to The Sims 2, to those that change the world itself — such as the introduction of seasonal weather and vacation spots — The Sims 2‘s expansions change ultimately everything about the game.

1

The Game Making Sims Seem More Human

With More Personality Than Before, The Sims 2’s Characters Are Full Of Life

Even with its seemingly diluted gameplay and rocky launch, The Sims 4 remains “one of the best titles to check out” for fans of the life simulation genre, mostly due to the solid foundation it takes from concerning many of its systems and mechanics.

While The Sims‘ framework established what it meant to be a Sims title, and The Sims 3 iterated on many of the series’ then-staples, The Sims 2 arguably remains the most impactful installment in the franchise. From a ballooned ‘interests’ system, a greatly improved Sim life-cycle mechanic, and the inclusion of mixing attributes when creating children, The Sims 2‘s inherent focus on humanizing the Sims under a player’s care is clear from the get-go.

Game

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Released

September 14, 2004

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Crude Humor, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

3D engine

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